Civil servants in Northern Ireland accept equal pay deal

Northern Irish civil servants belonging to the Nipsa union have voted overwhelmingly in favour of an equal pay deal.

Thirteen thousand civil servants, mainly women, accepted the deal following complaints that they were paid less than others on the same pay grade.

Finance minister Sammy Wilson has agreed to pay £150m to settle cases before industrial tribunals, and a further £25m to increase overall pay, reports the BBC.

According to Nipsa, the deal means the rate of pay for administrative assistants will rise by more than 21%, and by more than 10% for executive officers. Under the terms of the settlement, pay increases will be backdated to 1 February 2009.